Variants of CAPN3 cause limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A in two Chinese families

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) are a group of neuromuscular diseases that are characterized by progressive muscle weakness. LGMD type 2A (LGMD2A), caused by variants in the calpain-3 (CAPN3) gene, is the most prevalent type. The present study aimed to analyze pathogenic CAPN3 gene variants in two pedigrees affected by LGMD2A. Each family contains three patients who are siblings and sought genetic counseling. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood samples collected from the probands and family members and whole-exome sequencing (WES) was used to detect the pathogenic genes in the probands. Suspected variants were subsequently validated by Sanger sequencing. In family 1, WES revealed that the proband carried the compound heterogeneous variants c.1194-9A>G and c.1437C>T (p.Ser479=) in CAPN3 (NM_000070.2). In family 2, WES identified that the proband carried the compound heterogeneous variants c.632+4A>G and c.1468C>T (p.Arg490Trp) in CAPN3 (NM_000070.2). In conclusion, the present study indicated that the compound heterogeneous variants of the CAPN3 gene were most likely responsible for LGMD2A in the two Chinese families.